Although this scene was not long, it required a lot of control over the actors' emotions. According to the plot, this was the turning point when the young Princess Taiping went from being innocent and kind to being ruthless and two-faced; and started her quest for power.
This was also the scene that Li Beibei was looking forward to the most. She had filmed this scene in her previous life, but she and Su Qingdai had swapped roles. She was slapped 16 times. That night, Li Beibei had even lost her hearing temporarily .
In this life, she wanted to let Su Qingdai have a taste of it.
After filming began, everything went smoothly. When Li Beibei was about to slap Su Qingdai, her raised hand in midair suddenly held back some force.
Although the slap landed, the hand looked weak on camera.
"Cut"
The director stopped the shot. "Li Beibei, you hit her too lightly. Again."
There was no choice but to take it from the top again.
"It's still too light. Again!"
"Li Beibei, did you not eat? Again!"
"Harder. Swing your arm around. Again!"
On the sixth take, the director paused filming and walked over. "Li Beibei, I know that Su Qingdai is your friend and you can't bear to hit her hard. But as an actress, you must have professionalism. How can you show the emotions of the character in the drama when you're so unprofessional?"
Li Beibei stood silently at the side.
Su Qingdai hurriedly said, "Director, I did tell Beibei just now not to feel sorry for me. I'm fine. Actors should be professional and have the spirit of self-sacrifice."
The director turned around and looked at Su Qingdai. He pointed out bluntly, "Su Qingdai, your emotions were not satisfactory just now. Although this is a small role, there are still one or two close-ups. You have to work harder."
Su Qingdai nodded repeatedly. "Noted, Director. I'll work hard."
When filming began again, Li Beibei finally started to apply more force.
When the slap landed, Su Qingdai's head buzzed and she was completely dumbstruck.
The director yelled "Cut" again. "Su Qingdai, what's going on? Do you know that you're acting?"
Su Qingdai snapped back to her senses and asked for a retake.
The second time, Li Beibei also gave her a resounding slap.
However, the director still yelled "Cut". "No. Su Qingdai, your emotion is wrong. You're scared, not in disbelief. Again."
"No. Su Qingdai, what's wrong with you? Why are you so distracted?"
Li Beibei did not intend to continue making things difficult for Su Qingdai because she had already vented most of her anger. Her hand was already hurting from the slapping.
But, Li Beibei did not expect that every subsequent NG was because Su Qingdai did not get the emotions right.
Li Beibei was also confused. Logically speaking—in her previous life—Su Qingdai's acting skills were not bad. Why had she become such a noob now?
Su Qingdai was even more exasperated.
Her face was already burning with pain, and she had been chewed out by the director.
When Su Qingdai saw Fu Jingmo watching the filming from a distance, she could not help but be distracted.
He wouldn't find anything, would he?
She was the one who had tampered with Hurricane. This morning, she went to the stable and fed Hurricane candy laced with a strong stimulant.
She had calculated the time when the drug would take effect. Once Li Beibei was injured, the production team would definitely save her first, and not investigate the matter. Besides, it was not unusual for such an accident to happen to an equestrian rookie.
However, man proposes but God disposes. Li Beibei turned out to be a master horse trainer and stole the show. She even ended up with a group of fanboys and fangirls. Su Qingdai was extremely frustrated.
What was even more frustrating was that Fu Jingmo appeared out of nowhere and wanted to launch a thorough investigation.
Hence, Su Qingdai had been worried and was on tenterhooks for the entire afternoon, resulting in the scene requiring countless retakes.